Latch



Patented Jan. 3, 1939 Electri Company, a corporationof New York mu omom loaasonal No. 183.291 roam (crassuz) My invention relates to latches for refrigerator.

cabinets or the like. g It is an object-of my invention to provide; an improved latch comprising a minimum number of parts, which is readily assembled and economical to manufacture, andfwhich has a finished and pleasing appearance. Further objects .and advantagesof my invention will become apparent as the following delo scription proceeds. and the features of novelty which characterize my invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification."

For a better understanding of my invention, reference may be had to the accompanyingdrawing in which Fig. l is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the irame'and door or a refrigerator cabinet provided with a latch embodying myinvention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged-side ele- 2o vational view, partly in section, of the latch shown in Fig, 1; and Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the operating mechanism of thellatch shown in Fig.2. I l I Referring to the drawing, in Fig; 1' I'have 25 shown a portion of a household type refrigerator cabinet l0 having an opening in the front wall thereof closed by a door ll. The refrigerator cabinet 10 comprises a metal outer shell i2 and a sheet metal inner liner I3 spaced therefrom 30 by a layer of heat insulation l4;

edges of the shell it and the liner 13 are flanged toward each other adjacent the opening in the front wall of the refrigerator cabinet Ill and are joined together by a'strip 10f thermally resistant.

as material IS. The front wall of the shell I2 extending aboutthe margin of the opening-in the refrigerator cabinet 10 constitutesa door frame to which the door I I is hinged. The door I I cumprises a sheet metal outer wall 16 and'a sheet 0 metal inner wall I! spaced therefrom by a layer of heat insulation I8; The marginal edges of the outer wall I6 and the inner wall I l are flanged toward each other and joined together by a strip of thermally resistant material it? The door H as is also provided with a marginal flange Ha projecting over a portion of thefront wall of the shell l2. A gasket 20 issecured to the inner face of the marginalflange Haof the door I I and provides a seal between the marginal i flange of the so door and the front wall of the shell i2. A latch 21 comprising cooperating parts carried by the outer edge of the marginal flange of the door ll and the front wall of the shell I2 is provided in order to retain thedoor in a closed position. 55 The latch 2| comprises a support in the form of The marginal an elongated hollow casing 22 provided withintegral upper and lower tabs 23 secured to the outer edge of the marginal flange 'i la of the-door ll by screws 24 extending through openings therein and threadedinto'a portion carried by the marg ginal flangeof the door II. a latch bolt 25 is slidably arranged in the casing 22,and is adapted I to move'in a vertical direction through an open-v ing 2 formed inthe lower portion of the casing into extendedand retracted; positions. The. latch .10

bolt 25 comprises a head 21 and two upwardly. extending spaced-apart arms .28'secured theretoby pins or'rivets29. A member is arranged within the casing 22 adjacent the upper portion thereof and is pivotedto the walls of the casing 16 by a pin 30a. The member 31! is movable by a handle 3t in opposite directions about the pivot 30a within the casing 22. v p

A lost motion connection isprovided between the inner end of the member and the inner end 20 of the latch bolt 25 in order to provide for upward movement ofthe latch bolt indeepndently of the member 30 and its handle 31. This connec tion also provides for retraction of the latch bolt by actuation of the handle 3|. and comprises 25' a'slot 32 formed inthe inner end of the member 30 and a pin .33 extending therethrough and secured in openings formed in the inner ends of the upwardly extending arms 28 of the latch bolt 25. An arrangement for moving the latch bolt 30 25 into extended latching position and for moving the member in a counterclockwise direction about the pivot pin 30a is provided which includes two co-operating thrust members 34 and i 35 and a helical compression spring 36. The 35 thrust members 34 and 35 are arranged in sliding engagement with each other. one end of eachthrust member being slotted and the slotted ends of the thrust members being arranged in inter fitting relation. member 34 is pivoted to a pin 31 extending between the spaced apartarms 28 of the latchbolt 25 and the other end of the'thrust member 35 engages a recess 33 formed in the outer end of the member 30. g 35 is arranged about the thrust members 34 and 35,.one end of the spring engaging a'shoulder 39 formed on the thrust member 34 and the other end of the spring engaging a shoulder" formed onthe thrust member 35. Movement. of the 50 member 30 in a counter-clockwise direction. as viewed in Fig. 2, about the pivotpin 30a is limited by the engagement between a' flange 4| provided on the member 30 and the upper portion of the casing 22.

The other. end of the thrust 0' I The helical compression spring The depth of the slots provided in i the thrust members as and u determines the I amount of movement of the member "in clockwise direction, that is, the sliding engagement between members 34 and 35 will continue untilthe bottom of the slot in one member comes into engagement with the bottom of the slot in the other member. The slots in the thrust members M and 35 are made wide enough to'provide freedam of movement" between thrust members 24 and, but narrow enoughto prevent any appreciablelateral movementoi the thrust members. This construction, together with the arrangement for limiting clockwise rotation as de- I scribed'above, cooperates to prevent, any toggle action as well as to limit the clockwiselrotation.

mother words, spring and thrust members at "and 85 are fitted together in such a manner that they will alwayslremain to the right ofaline through pivots "aand ll, as-iviewed in Fig. 2, Thus theforce in compression is always effective to tend'tc force member. I! inia-cou'nterclockwise direction about thei pivot-135m The: Y

member II is also provided :with an upwardlyjexten ns portion cohstitutingilthe handle. cl for moving the-member ll about thepivot'lla in j order to move the latch bolt "i'nto aj -fjretracted position. Preferably, the member ll andytheup-d' wardiy extending portion ti thereofareformed t gral. Theouter surface of. the upward],iyieir-.-';; tending handle ii is arranged"in .alignment ;with,,, the outer surfaoeoi' the casing 22 and forms' a'J; l ve-the I latch I continuation thereof inorder to an unbroken finished appearance? A metal keeper 4! having adownwardly' 6 tending flange 44 is secured tothe' ront'walllcithe shell. i2 belowthe casing '22. is provided with a recess 45' jth'erei gwh'ich' i'sjj! adapted to receive the lower-end of thehead 21 of the latch bolt 2! in order to etn taed in clo ed position,

In order to open the door i i the handle ii" of the latch 2| is moved outwardlywith respect to the door causingthe member ill to movein a clockwise direction, as viewed in- Fig. 2, about the pivot pin 200. This movement of themember 25 is transmitted through the pin and slot connection between the inner end of the latch'bolt 25 and the inner end of the member" and causesthe latch bolt 25 tobe moved into re-f tracted position moving the head 21 thereof out of engagement with the recess 45 in the keeper 42., Thedoor ll maythen be rnoved toan open position. Movement of the member in a clockwise direction, as viewed inFig. '2, about. the pivot pin 30a also compresses the spring interposed between the latch bolt 21 and the outer end of the member 30. When the handle ii is released the spring 36 moves the latch bolt 25 into extended position and moves the member 30 in a counterclockwise direction about the pivot .pin "a; the movement of the member 30 in a counter-clockwisedirection about the pivot pin 30a being limited by theengagement between the stop carried by the member 30 and the upper.

end of the casing 22.

As the door II is moved toward a closed position, an inclined surface 21a provided on the head of the latch bolt 25 engages an inclined surface a provided on the keeper l3 and forces the latch bolt 25 into retracted position. This movement of the latch bolt 25 compresses the spring 35. When the door I l is moved into fully closed position, the head 21 of the latch bolt 25 is moved into the recess in the keeper 3 by thecompression spring 36. Due to the lost-motion connection between the inner end of the latch bolt 25 and the inner end of the member viii, the latch bolt 25 is free to move into retracted position upon the engagement between the inclined surface 21a provided on the head 21 of the latch bolt 25 and the inclined surface a provided on the keeper 48 independent of movement of the member 30 about the pivot pin 30a. Also, due to this connection, movement of the latch bolt 25 into extended position bythe spring 35 is independent of movement of the member 7 30 about the pivot pin "a. Thus. movements of the latch bolt 25 caused by closing the door II are not transmitted to the member-10 and the handle 2 I carried thereby.

between the inclined surface 2.1a provided on the head 21 of the latch bolt 25 and the inclined surface "a provided "on the metal keeper 3, the head 21' is formed of some non-metallic substance such, for example, as a resinous condensation product having; a suitable filler.

While I' have shown .a particular embodiment of my invention in connection with a household type refrigerator cabinet! do not desire my in- ;ventionto bepllmited to the construction shown and;.describe'd: and. I fintend ,in the appended claims to coverall modifications within. the, spirit andscopeofmyinvention. j c q v ywha't'l claimias new and. desire'to secure by letters Patent of, the United States-lak v I 1; A1 latchcomprising a ,supportlla latch bolt slidably ,carried by said support, fmovable into extended and retracted positions, :a member pivoted to said support and movable in, opposite fdirections about said pivot, aconnection'between oneend ofsaid member and end of i between bolt ,and the ,other1 -,end of said member for movingisaidzb'olt intoextended position and for movingrsaidgmember'in one direction about. said'l pivot, -and -means adapted to move said member in the opposite direction about said pivot for moving saidjbolt into retracted position. 1;]; I

2. A latch comprisinglaf'mpw z latchbolt slidably carried by said supporta'nd movable into Inorder to provide'a smooth sliding action Lsaid'bolt, means including a compression spring extended and retracted positions]; a member pivotedto said support and movable {in', opposite directions aboutsaid pivot, a lost motion connection between one end of said member, and the inner end of said bolt, said connection'ailowing movement of said bolt into retracted position independent of movement ofsaid member about said pivot, means including a compression spring interposed between said bolt and the other end of said member for moving said bolt into extended position and for moving said'member in one direction about said pivot, and means ini cluding a handle carried by said member and adapted to movesaid member in the opposite direction aboutsaid pivot for moving said bolt into retracted position.

3. A latch comprising a support, a latch bolt slidably carried by said support andmovable into extended and retracted positions, a member pivoted to said support and movable'in opposite directionsabout said pivot, a connection between one end of said member and the inner end oi' said bolt, said connectionincluding a slot in said member and a pin carried by said bolt and allowing movement of said bolt into retracted position independent of movement of said member about said pivot, means including a compression spring interposed between said bolt and said pivot, means including a slot in one end or the other end of said member for moving said bolt into extended position and for moving said member in one direction about said pivot, and

means adapted to move said member in the opposite direction about said pivot for moving said bolt into retracted position.

4. A latch comprising a support, a latch bolt slidably carried by said support and movable into extended and retracted positions, said latch bolt comprising a head and two spaced apart arms ex-- tending therefrom, a memberpivoted to said support and movable in opposite directions about said pivot, the inner ends of the arms of said bolt being arranged on opposite sides'of one end of said member and connected thereto, means including a spring for moving said bolt into extended position and for moving. said member in one direction about said pivot, one end of said said member and a pin carried between theinner ends of the arms of said bolt for providing a connection therebetween, said connection permitting movement of said bolt into retracted position insaid pivot, means including a spring for moving said bolt into'extended position and for movin said member in one'direction about said pivot, one end of said spring being pivotally mounted between the arms of said bolt and the other end of said spring acting upon the other end of said t member, andmeans including a handle carried by said member and adapted to move said mem- 7 dependent of movement of said member about her in the opposite direction about said pivot for moving said bolt into retracted position.

6. A latch comprising an elongated hollow casing, a latch bolt slidably arranged in said casing and movable into extended and retracted positions, a member arranged in said casing and pivoted to said casing, said member being movable in opposite directions about said pivot, a connection between one end or said member and the inner end of said bolt, means including a compression spring interposed between said bolt and the other end of said member for moving said bolt into extended position and for oving said member in one direction about saidpivot, and means including a handle carried by said memher and adapted to move said member in the opposite direction about said pivot for moving said 'bolt into retracted position, said handle normally extending in the same direction as said casin and forming a continuation thereof to give said latch-an unbroken appearance.

I. In a door construction including a door, a door frame therefor and a keeper carried by said door irame, a latch comprising a hollow casing carried by the edge of said door, a latch bolt slidably arranged in said casing and movable in a vertical direction intoextended and retracted positions, said bolt extending into a recess iormed in said keeper in said extended position, a momber arranged in said casing and pivoted to said casing; said member being movable in opposite 7 directions about said pivot, a connection between one end of said member and the inner end of said bolt, means including a compression spring interposed between said bolt-and the other and of said member for moving said bolt into extend:

ed position and for moving said member in one direction about said pivot, and means including an upwardly'extending handle carried by said member and adapted to move said member in the opposite direction about said pivot for moving said bolt into retracted position. i

were 1:. node. 

